Steve Smith, Australia’s star cricketer, has reached peak form just in time. The veteran batter smashed his consecutive hundred on Saturday while opening the batting for Sydney Sixers in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) season, showing signs of things to come ahead of the all-important Border-Gavaskar series against India. Smith smashed an unbeaten 125 off 66 balls against the Sydney Thunders at the SCG, including five fours and nine massive sixes.
Smith joined the Sixers’ BBL camp immediately following Australia’s 2-0 victory over South Africa in the Test series at home. In the previous game against the Adelaide Strikers, he became the first player in the history of the franchise to cross the three-figure mark and has now backed it up with another century.
After a quick start, the Thunder responded with back-to-back wickets in the fourth over, as Gurinder Sandhi dismissed Josh Philippe and Kurtis Patterson.
Steve Smith is in the sublime form:
Second-straight century brought up with a SIX!
STEVEN SMITH 🔥 #GoldenMoment @BKTtires | #BBL12 pic.twitter.com/FbTnLIMXIO
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 21, 2023
The veteran batter batted through the innings with captain Moises Henriques, putting together an unbroken 155-run stand. In 31 deliveries, the former reached fifty in the tenth over.
His knock was well-rounded, with shots all over the ground and against some of the game’s smartest bowlers. Smith scored 101 off 56 balls against the former champions, Adelaide Strikers, the day before, hitting five fours and seven huge sixes.
Smith accelerated even further after his second consecutive three-figure score, as the Sixers scored 25 runs off the final two overs to set a 197-run target. The former Australian captain was unbeaten on 125 off 66 balls. The Thunder’s opener, David Warner, should make for an exciting run-chase.
Sixers won the match by 125 runs thanks to his outstanding innings and an all-round bowling performance. The Sixers’ top-of-the-table hopes remain alive, though they must win their final match against the Hurricanes in Hobart on Monday and hope the Scorchers lose to the Renegades tomorrow.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.